U.S. Pat. No. 6,528,918 discloses a drive system in which a housing arrangement of a hydrodynamic clutch device is coupled with the rotor arrangement of an electric machine acting as a starter generator so as to be fixed with respect to rotation relative to it and so as to be fixed axially. For this purpose, a toothing element is secured to the housing of the hydrodynamic clutch device and, when producing the rotational coupling, engages in a toothing formed at the rotor carrier of the rotor arrangement so that the rotational coupling is realized. Further, an axial coupling element in the form of a screw sleeve is held at the toothing element that is secured to the housing arrangement and is screwed onto an outer circumferential area of the rotor arrangement after the housing arrangement has been moved axially to the rotor arrangement, so that it is ensured that the two toothing arrangements which engage one inside the other are held in axial engagement and the housing arrangement and rotor arrangement are therefore coupled with one another so as to be fixed not only with respect to rotation but also axially.
The present invention provides a simply constructed and reliably operating device for coupling a housing arrangement of a clutch device, particularly a hydrodynamic clutch device, to a rotor arrangement of an electric machine.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a drive system includes a device for coupling a housing arrangement of a clutch device, particularly a hydrodynamic clutch device, to a rotor arrangement of an electric machine, wherein the rotor arrangement of the electric machine can be connected to a drive shaft so as to be fixed with respect to rotation relative to it, this drive shaft being rotatable around an axis of rotation. The electric machine further has a stator arrangement which can be brought into electromagnetic interaction with the rotor arrangement and the drive shaft can be driven in rotation by the electric machine and/or electrical energy can be generated by rotation of the drive shaft. First teeth fixed to the rotor arrangement and second teeth fixed to the housing arrangement are in a rotational driving engagement with one another or can be brought into a rotational driving engagement with one another, and an axial securing arrangement holds the rotor arrangement in axial direction with respect to the housing arrangement.
According to the invention, it is further provided that the axial securing arrangement comprises at least one catch member at a structural component of the rotor arrangement and housing arrangement and has a catch receptacle associated with this catch member at the other structural component of the rotor arrangement and housing arrangement.
In this embodiment form of a device according to the invention, axial securing is achieved by a catch action, so that, the components provided for achieving axial securing can be constructed in an appreciably simpler manner compared to components which can be brought into threaded engagement. For example, at least one catch recess can be formed in the area of the teeth of the rotor arrangement and/or in the area of the teeth of the housing arrangement. This arrangement is particularly advantageous because when sheet-metal formed parts are used the teeth are generally produced during the forming process and the at least one catch recess can be formed at the same time without causing any fundamental structural weakening in the structural component part.
In order to be able to produce different structural component parts and working areas from optimal materials for the requirements imposed on them, it is proposed that at least one catch member is secured to a structural component part providing the toothing configuration of the rotor arrangement and/or that at least one catch member is secured to a structural component part providing the toothing configuration of the housing arrangement. Alternatively, it is advantageous particularly with respect to the simplest possible construction when at least one catch member is formed integral with a structural component part providing the toothing configuration of the rotor arrangement and/or when at least one catch member is formed integral with a structural component part providing the toothing configuration of the housing arrangement. The axial securing arrangement which works by a catching action can be relieved in that an axial movement stop is provided at a structural component part providing a toothing configuration. Further, it is advantageous for carrying out maintenance processes or repair work when a releasing portion is provided on at least one catch member for preferably manual disengagement of the catch engagement of the catch member.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the above-stated object is met by a device for coupling a housing arrangement of a clutch device, particularly a hydrodynamic clutch device, to a rotor arrangement of an electric machine, wherein the rotor arrangement of the electric machine is coupled, or is to be coupled, to a drive shaft so as to be fixed with respect to rotation relative to it, this drive shaft being rotatable around an axis of rotation, wherein the electric machine further has a stator arrangement which can be brought into electromagnetic interaction with the rotor arrangement and the drive shaft can be driven in rotation by the electric machine and/or electrical energy can be generated by rotation of the drive shaft, wherein the device comprises toothing configurations at the rotor arrangement and at the housing arrangement which are in a rotational driving engagement with one another or can be brought into a rotational driving engagement with one another.
Further, a friction device which opposes a rotation of the rotor arrangement relative to the housing arrangement is provided according to the invention.
The basic aim consists in so constructing the toothing configurations which engage with one another or can be brought into engagement with one another that they cooperate substantially without rotational movement play. However, above all when using sheet-metal formed parts, there is often a risk that small gaps will remain so that a slight movement play exists. As a result of the friction device which is to be provided according to the invention, a substantially free rotation of the housing arrangement relative to the rotor arrangement which can very easily lead to impact noises, can not occur in spite of any movement play that may be present.
In this connection, it is further advantageous when an arrangement for limiting axial movement of the housing arrangement relative to the rotor arrangement is formed by the friction device in at least one axial direction. Further, the occurrence of even slight relative rotation in the area of the movement play of the engaging toothing configurations can be effectively eliminated in that the friction device comprises friction areas at the rotor arrangement and at the housing arrangement which interact by magnetic force or which can be brought to interact by magnetic force.
Of course, the friction device may also be provided when an axial securing arrangement which holds the housing arrangement and rotor arrangement together axially, e.g., through a catch action, is provided as was described in the preceding. In this case, it can also be ensured that the axial securing arrangement provides pretensioning for the friction device.
According to a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a device for coupling a housing arrangement of a clutch device, particularly a hydrodynamic clutch device, to a rotor arrangement of an electric machine, wherein the rotor arrangement of the electric machine is coupled, or is to be coupled, to a drive shaft so as to be fixed with respect to rotation relative to it, this drive shaft being rotatable around an axis of rotation, wherein the electric machine further has a stator arrangement which can be brought into electromagnetic interaction with the rotor arrangement and the drive shaft can be driven in rotation by the electric machine and/or electrical energy can be generated by rotation of the drive shaft, wherein the device comprises toothing configurations at the rotor arrangement and at the housing arrangement which are in a rotational driving engagement with one another or can be brought into a rotational driving engagement with one another.
This device is further characterized by coupling areas which interact through magnet force or which can be brought to interact through magnetic force and are provided at the rotor arrangement and at the housing arrangement.
It can further be provided in the device according to the invention that the toothing configuration of the rotor arrangement is formed at a rotor carrier and/or that the toothing configuration of the housing arrangement is formed at a structural component part of the housing arrangement. Further, it is possible that the toothing configuration of the rotor arrangement is formed at a toothing structural component part that is fixedly connected to a rotor carrier and/or that the toothing configuration of the housing arrangement is formed at a toothing structural component part that is fixedly connected to a housing structural component part.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the above-stated object is met by a device for coupling a housing arrangement of a clutch device, particularly hydrodynamic clutch device, to a rotor arrangement of an electric machine, wherein the rotor arrangement of the electric machine is coupled, or is to be coupled, to a drive shaft so as to be fixed with respect to rotation relative to it, wherein the electric machine further has a stator arrangement which can be brought into electromagnetic interaction with the rotor arrangement and the drive shaft can be driven in rotation by the electric machine and/or electrical energy can be generated by rotation of the drive shaft.
According to the invention, it is further provided that the device comprises a flexible, plate-like coupling element which is to be connected in a first coupling area to the rotor arrangement and is to be connected in a second coupling area to the housing arrangement.
Flexible, plate-like coupling elements of the type mentioned above have proven to be particularly economical but, at the same time, also very reliably operating structural component parts for transmitting torque between a rotor arrangement and a housing arrangement.
For example, the coupling element can be connected in at least one of the coupling areas by screwing. Further, the coupling element can be connected in at least one coupling area by riveting.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the above-stated object is met by a device for coupling a housing arrangement of a clutch device, particularly hydrodynamic clutch device, to a rotor arrangement of an electric machine, wherein the rotor arrangement of the electric machine is coupled, or is to be coupled, to a drive shaft so as to be fixed with respect to rotation relative to it, wherein the electric machine further has a stator arrangement which can be brought into electromagnetic interaction with the rotor arrangement and the drive shaft can be driven in rotation by the electric machine and/or electrical energy can be generated by rotation of the drive shaft.
This device according to the invention is characterized by a torsional vibration damper arrangement with a primary side that is connected to the rotor arrangement for common rotation and a secondary side which is connected to the housing arrangement for common rotation and which is coupled to the primary side by a damper element arrangement for transmitting torque.
By incorporating a torsional vibration damper arrangement in the torque transmission path and as a device which provides the rotational connection between the housing arrangement and the rotor arrangement and drive shaft, respectively, torsional vibrations can be efficiently damped.
In this respect, it can be provided, for example, that the primary side has a damper element supporting element which encloses some areas of the damper elements of the damper element arrangement and in which a damper element counter-supporting element of the secondary side engages for interaction with the damper elements of the damper element arrangement.
A particularly simple construction can be achieved in that a rotor carrier of the rotor arrangement forms the damper element supporting element at least in part.
In order to prevent overloading of various damper elements when the torque peaks to be transmitted become too large, it is proposed that the damper element supporting element and the damper element counter-supporting element have stop areas which cooperate to limit the rotational angle.
Since the housing arrangement is also generally constructed with sheet-metal formed parts at least in some areas, it is suggested that a damper element counter-supporting element of the secondary side is secured to the housing arrangement in the area of shaped portions of the housing arrangement in order to increase stability in the area where the secondary side of the torsional vibration damper arrangement is connected to the housing arrangement.
In another embodiment form according to the invention, it can be provided that the primary side comprises a driving element that is connected to the rotor arrangement for common rotation and to which at least one damper element supporting area of the primary side is connected for common rotation. It is advantageous particularly in drive systems in which very large torques must be transmitted, e.g., in utility vehicles or commercial vehicles, when at least two damper element supporting areas of two damper element sets of the damper element arrangement which act in parallel are connected to the driving element.
The present invention will be described in more detail in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings showing preferred embodiment forms.